As the world continues to shift towards online shopping, retailers are facing new challenges in staying relevant and profitable. One company that has faced these challenges head-on is Urban Outfitters, Inc. (NASDAQ:URBN), a general consumer product retail and wholesale business that sells its wares through various channels including retail locations, websites, catalogs, and mobile applications. However, recent reports suggest that institutional investors such as Thrivent Financial for Lutherans are lessening their holdings in Urban Outfitters.
According to the most recent disclosure filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, the institutional investor reduced its holdings of Urban Outfitters by 31.7% in the fourth quarter of 2022. The investor sold 28,472 shares during this time period and now owns just 61,456 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock. This represents approximately 0.07% of Urban Outfitters’ total value.
News like this can be concerning for shareholders and potential investors alike. However, it’s important to note that Urban Outfitters still has a market capitalization of $2.51 billion as of May 22, 2023. Additionally, its stock opened at $27.16 on Monday with a 50-day simple moving average of $26.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.74.
Moreover, investors may find comfort in the fact that Urban Outfitters has weathered similar storms before and emerged stronger than ever thanks to its innovative strategies and willingness to adapt to changing market conditions. In particular, the company has embraced e-commerce as a key growth area in recent years.
Looking forward, analysts are keeping a close eye on Urban Outfitters’ performance as it continues to navigate an increasingly complex retail landscape. As always with investing, it’s important for investors to do their own research before making any decisions based solely on news reports or briefings.
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Institutional Investors Increase Holdings in Urban Outfitters Despite Mixed Ratings from Research Firms
Urban Outfitters, Inc. recently saw changes in its institutional investment makeup, with several hedge funds and investors making moves to increase their holdings. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al increased its stake in the company by 66.4% during the third quarter of 2022, now owning 59,042 shares valued at $1,160,000. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA purchased a new position in Urban Outfitters during the fourth quarter for roughly $216,000, while Quantamental Technologies LLC purchased shares in 3Q2022 for approximately $447,000. South Dakota Investment Council also boosted its holdings in Urban Outfitters by nearly 20% during the same quarter. These institutional investments comprise roughly 77% of the company’s stock.
Several research firms have issued reports on URBN in recent months following the company’s most recent quarterly earnings report released on February 28th, which showed the company’s EPS at $0.39,a number on par with analysts’ predictions.While Morgan Stanley lifted their price target from $26 to$28 and rated it “equal weight”, UBS Group downgraded Urban Outfitters from a “neutral” to “sell,” JPMorgan Chase & Co.rating it as “neutral”,Telsey Advisory Group ranked it as an “outperform” and gave it a price target of $34 while Barclays decreased its target price from $29 to$27.According to data analyzed by Bloomberg,the average rating is presently“hold”.
Urban Outfitters engages in a general consumer retail sale business across multiple channels including retail locations, online platforms (such as websites and mobile applications) etc.and according to data gathered by analysts (as of May22nd) poste d a net marginof3.33%and a return on equity of9.46%.Frank Conforti COO sold42k sharesin early March at apx.$27/share as part ofa previously constructed stock sale.Unconfirmed reports indicate thatUrban Outfitters still remains stable amidst growing competition in the online consumer retail business.
